another problem is that when we are sick, or grieving we are encouraged to share our woes with others, and others come to visit, hoping to lessen our woes.
Finances are the last taboo in America, and we are discouraged from talking about them with each other. What loneliness must the person in severe financial distress feel, and with no one to share it with. He may not wish to share it with his immediate family, for fear of looking bad, or to share it with his greater family, for fear that he might be viewed as a schnorrer, bad provider, malingerer, etc. He may not share it with his spouse, did he not agree to a ketubah where he promised to, even to the point of selling the shirt off his back, to provide her with food, clothing and necessities?
Maybe it’s time to break this last taboo, and bring financial distress out of the closet.
Is there some way you can tactfully let your friends know they are in your prayers without embarassing them?